The Red Spire
The Red Spire is the burnt-out composite cone of a now dead volcano. The Fire fairies naturally drawn to the volcano coltivated the magma, drawing it out little by little and building a spire from the lava. The cone slowly spirals upward, creating a narrow path by which a being could walk until they reach the top. A large fumarole sits at the summit of the artificial mountain, releasing the otherwise dangerous pressure of the Spire's interior. Before the intervention of the Fire fairies whom call the Spire home, the Red Spire was a violent volcano, spilling lava regularly across the land for kilometers. The Destroyed land has since healed, housing a variety of flora and fauna. The Most prolific flower within the lava flats are red-blossomed bushes, covered in ivory thorns. The thorns of these plants are hollow, and release a light, mildly poisonous gas. the gaseous vapor appears orange and red in large quantities, and smells of sulfer. Before of this flower, and the clouds of gas it realeases, the Lava flats have been given the name The Red March. There are several outposts on the edges of the Red March under the juristiction of the Battlemaidens of Airro. Would-be followers are advised to seek out these outposts instead of braving the March and its toxic gases. Each outpost will provide a menial task, usually a showing of dedication, and lead those who complete the task to the base camp sitting at the bottom of the Red Spire's incline. The camp as since grown into a large community, but the lack of water prevents rapid expansion of the camp into a bonafide township. Instead, those who call the Maidens their home live within the Red Spire, where rainwater is easier to come by. The Red March The lava flats extend for hundreds of kilometers, whose strong, basalt plateus even act as a foundation for the fortress The Star. Only several kilometers around the Red Spire Itself house the name-sake flowers. The Flowers slowly die off and recede each year, making the toxic moat around the spire grow narrower each passing season. Scholars have surmised that the flowers act as natural healing mechanisms for the land, drawing the poison of the lava from it and releasing it into the air where other plants and incsects work in tandum to disperse it. As the land heals and its poison is drawn out, the flowers loose their source of nutrition, and die out, making way for grass and other flora to grow in the places its carved in the rock. The Red Spire The cultivated cone of the Red Spire rises hundreds of yards into the air, making for an impressive stone tower. erosion and other natural forces leave the outside of the tower scarred and jagged, but the inside, where Battlemaidens and faires live together is smooth and solid. The Spire sits atop a large mountain, dotted with primitive camps and bunkers where the Battlemaidens have or or are currently staying. Most of them serve as resting points for those climbing the mountain on their way to the spire proper. The outside of the spire itself boasts a large spiral path, which has been fasioned by the Battlemaidens into a stairway. In front of the Fumarole, which remained untouched by the Maidens, is a temple dedicated to Airro Relle, the Angel of War. War Councils, Knighthoods, Paladin initiation, and important marriages are celebrated at the temple complex. The interior of the Spire has greatly changed since the ocupation of the Battlemaidens. The previously bare, unadorned holes in the walls which served as Fairy homes have evoled into decoritive caveworks, man-made housing and accessable platforms. dwellings of Fire fairies range from simple indents in the sides of the interior, to elaborately decorated cloisters, relative to the degree the resident emulates humans. In comparison, human housing is very uniform and can be seen as bland, or decorative depending on the compared dwellings. The Battlemaidens Some time after the Cult following the Angel of War formed, the Fire Fairies of the Red Spire found themselves being imposed on by an alien force. Fairies, in their general mindset, do not understand the need for a home that is not directly vital to growth. When the Battlemaidens showed their desire to claim the Red Spire as their base of operations, the Fire Fairies protested. Because none had seen a Human or Lian before, none had been exposed to language. Their protests were viewed as an assault on the Human and Lian camps, with both sides firmly beleiving they were attacked first. A conflict broke out between the two groups, lasting until the Heterogeneous Society of Knowledge stepped in and acted as mediators on behalf of the Lian and Human forces. Eventually, an agreement was made, and now both factions live happily in the Spire. While only the most radical of Fire Fairies choose to venerate Airro Relle and actively worship her, the overseeing elders attend religious ceremonies and Knighthoods out of respect for the uncanny conviction that men and Lian show for beings who would otherwise be unimportant without the heckling of their lessers.